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Thomas Sully was one of the foremost portraitist of early
19th century America. Born in England in 1783, he immigrated
with his theatrical family to Charleston, South Carolina at the
age of nine. A precocious talent, he studied painting with his
brother, Lawrence, in Virginia and eventually managed to have
his work critiqued by Gilbert Stuart, whose style influenced
Sully throughout his career.
With the exception of seven years in Virginia and two years
in England, where a syndicate of patrons sent him to paint and
study, Sully made his home in Philadelphia. He taught at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and recorded the images
of prominent citizens in Philadelphia and other major east coast
cities.
The painting's condition is excellent. It has recently received
a light cleaning and re-varnishing, and the original gesso frame
has been cleaned and skillfully repaired. |
